Why are priests not allow marry?

Answer 1

In most Christian churches, clergy are allowed to marry. Indeed in some churches there are priests married to each other (e.g. in the Church of England there are many husband and wife clergy families). This includes most Protestant churches and the Orthodox church, where parish priests can be married but monks, bishops and above remain celibate.

The largest church with celibate priests is the Roman Catholic church. In this church, it is held that celibacy helps the priest to focus on God and service to the church. However, the issue of celibacy is not a matter of faith or theology, but a vow imposed on the majority of western-rite (Latin) Roman Catholic priests. The major reason for this requirement is to prevent a conflict between family life and service to a priest's parishioners. Contrary to widely held opinion, there are, and always have been, married priests in the Catholic church. Eastern-rite Catholic priests, such as the Maronites, and, more recently, already married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism and wish to be Catholic priests, continue to serve in the priesthood. One condition of priesthood for married former-Anglican priests is that they may not serve in the role of principal parish priest, in order to conform with the principle of celibacy imposed on the majority of Roman Catholic priests. It is worth remembering that many of the early priests of the church, including the first pope (St Peter) were married.